Diary of a Wimpy Kid

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kinney, Jeff. DIARY OF A WIMPY KID. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2007.

PLOT SUMMARY
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID is a diary written in the form of a diary of a middle school aged boy named Greg. This book is an introduction into the life of Greg Heffley. Greg discusses his day to day life from dealing with his parents and his spoiled younger brother to trying to fit in and become more popular in middle school. From the stinky cheese on the playground to this comic strip he created with his friend Rowley, Greg seems to have the worst luck. Being a kid is hard and Greg knows that all too well.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The main character in DIARY OF A WIMPY KID is a middle school aged boy named Greg. Greg is a typical kid that goes through family life, friend experiences, and the dreaded new middle school. As his figures his way through life he writes his experiences in a journal. He is easily relatable for those kids who ever had apprehensions about new experiences, trouble with friends, and/or spoiled younger siblings.

Throughout the journal Greg explains his journey through his first year of middle school. The plot though quite simple is Greg’s life, and it is anything but simple to him. The majority of the book takes place at Greg’s house, school, and in the neighborhood. The descriptions are not too elaborate so that the reader can picture their own neighborhood and perhaps see themselves in Greg’s shoes. It is set in present time.

The theme of the story is simple; growing up. Greg has to make choices that will be best for him in the long run. He struggles with issues of being popular versus keeping his best friend. Like most young people, Greg chooses the easiest option at the time without thinking about the effects in the long run.

I believe this book is very obviously gender based. The issues that Greg goes through are that of a young boy. The issues may have been similar if it was a girl but definitely not the same. It is a fun read for both boys reading about each other and for girls reading about boys. This book has the giggle affect!
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
It is an excellent choice for reluctant readers, but more experienced readers will also find much to enjoy and relate to in one seventh grader's view of the everyday trials and tribulations of middle school.-SLJ

Unlike some other books about kids of this age, there's no sense of a slightly condescending adult writer behind the main character. At every moment, Greg seems real, and the engrossed reader will even occasionally see the logic in some of his choices. Greatly adding to the humor are Kinney's cartoons, which appear on every page.-BOOKLIST

CONNECTIONS
This is a light hearted story of a middle school aged boy. This would be a great introduction into a journal lesson in which students must write in a journal every day.

This book would be a great suggestion to a student that does not particularly like to read. It is easy to read as well as relatable to students.